Industrial Hemp (iHemp) is made up of varieties of Cannabis Sativa. It is an annual broadleaf plant with a taproot and is capable of a rapid growth under ideal growing conditions.

1. CULTIVATION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP (Cannabis sativa)
FACTS TO BE REMEMBERED BEFORE INITIATING HEMP CULTIVATION
1. Soil and Climate:
Soil
 Industrial hempcanbe grown on a wide variety of soil types. Ideally, the soil should be rich in
organicmatter –loamto sandyloam- pH not lessthan6.0. Pure clayis unsuitable,soisgrittysoil
near rocky sub-mountain slopes.
 Hemp prefers a sufficiently deep, well-aerated soil along with good moisture and nutrient
holding capacity. Poorly drained soils are not recommended as stagnating water after heavy
rains can result in damage to the hemp crop. Hemp is extremely sensitive to flooding and soil
compaction.
Climate
 Hempprefersa mildclimate,humid atmosphere,andarainfall of at least 25-30 inches per year.
Good soil moisture is required for seed germination and until the young plants are well
established.
2. Selectionofsite.
 The site shouldhave powersupplyandsituatedclose towaterbodies forirrigation;veryhigh
altitude sitesandsteepslopesare bestavoided.
3. Soil preparation.
 A fine, firm seedbed is required for fast, uniform germination of hemp seed. Conventional
seedbedpreparationanddrillingare probablyideal.The seedlings will not emerge uniformly if
the seedisplacedto a depthgreaterthan2 inches."No-till systems"canalsobe used with good
results, but may be more vulnerable to erratic emergence depending on the growing season.
4. Time of seeding.
 The besttime to seedhempshouldbe dictated by the weather and soil conditions, rather than
the date onthe calendar.However,seedingshouldbeginwhensoil temperatures are above 15-
20⁰C. Hemp seed germinates within 24 to 48 hours and emerges in 5 to 7 days with good
moisture and warm temperature.

2. 5. Seedrate and Plant population.
 The seed rate for grain-production is 23 kg/ha and that of for fiber production is 45 kg/ha. The
corresponding plant population for grains would be 100-150 plants /m2
and for fiber 200-250
plants / m2
6. Weed control.
 Industrial hempisanextremelyefficientweedsuppressor.Nochemicalsare neededforgrowing
this crop. Industrial hemp is a low maintenance crop. There are no registered chemicals for
weed control in hemp. A normal stand of 150 to 250 plants per square meter shades out the
weeds, leaving the fields weed-free at harvest for the next crop.
7. Nutrition.
 To achieve anoptimumhempyield,twice asmuchnutrientmustbe available to the crop as will
finally be removed from the soil at harvest. A hemp field produces a very large bulk of
vegetative material inashortvegetative period.The nitrogenuptake ismostintensive the first6
to 8 weeks,while potassium and in particular phosphorous are needed more during flowering
and seedformation.Industrial hemp requiresNitrogen =70 to 150 kg/ha ; Phosphate (P2O5) = 80
kg/haand Potash(K2O)=40-90 kg/ha.Howeverthese quantitiesof fertilizerswillvarydepending
on the nutrient status of the soil in which the crop will be grown.
8. Cultivar types.
There are twotypesof industrial hempbasedontheiruse.
 Fibercultivars - withlongstalksandlittle branching.
 Seedcultivars - withshorterstalks,largerseedheadsandmayhave numerousbranches(seed
contains30-35% oil).
9. Harvest
 Harvesting of hemp for high quality fiber occurs as the last pollen is shed. Harvesting for seed
occurs 4 to 6 weeks later, when 60% of the seed has ripened. Fiber hemp is normally ready to
harvest in 70 to 90 days after seeding. The end use of the product may significantly impact on
the harvesting method.
10. Storage
 For storage, the moisture content of hemp stalks should not exceed 15%. The bales can be
stored for a long time in dry places which could include storage sheds, barns or other covered
storage.Seeds(grains) shouldbe storedincool anddry conditionsinsuitable breathable cotton
or perforated paper bags.